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Striking Gold! IISE RELEASES 2012 TOP 10 NEW SPECIES

(Composite image: Sara Pennak)

Every year, the Top 10 list highlights species exploration, biodiversity and the science of taxonomy. This year’s picks for the Top 10 New Species represent species treasures from around the globe – from the deepest gold mines in Africa to the mountain heights of the Himalayas. The unranked list includes species with creative names and from ancient times as well as species that are sure to become icons for conservation. The 2012 Top 10 New Species were selected from the hundreds of nominations we received but are only a tiny fraction of the 18,000+ species that were officially described in 2011.   

 IISE RELEASES LATEST SOS REPORTS

(Image: Sara Pennak)

State Of Observed Species 2011
Retrospective State Of Observed Species 2000-2009

The International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) announced the release of two State of Observed Species (SOS) Reports on January 18, 2012. These documents represent a report card on the status of our scientific knowledge of Earth's species and the ongoing progress of discovering and describing new species. Since the mid-1700s nearly two million species have been described and it's been estimated that about ten million species still remain unknown to science and are awaiting discovery and study.

This year's annual report, SOS 2011, summarizes the 19,232 new living species officially described in calendar year 2009 and includes animals, plants, algae, fungi and microbes. The Retro SOS provides a data summary of the 176,311 new living species that were discovered and described from 2000 to 2009. With a scope of 10 years, the Retro SOS allows a greater understanding of the data trends that reflect the successes, gaps, and opportunities of species exploration ‒ such as a notable 12.8% increase in new extant species descriptions for the time period. Together, the reports tell us that taxonomists continue to advance our scientific understanding of Earth's species as thousands and thousands of new species are added each year to our databases including 1,905 new animal fossil species in 2009 and 24,869 new animal fossil species from 2000 to 2009.

The SOS 2011 and the Retro SOS would not have been possible without the dedication and support of our data partners: Thomson Reuters Zoological Record, International Plant Names Index, MycoBank, AlgaeBase and WoRMS, the World Record of Marine Species. We are deeply grateful for their time and generous efforts in providing the data necessary for these reports. We are also indebted to Taxatoy, an interactive application that allowed us to provide the graphic representations of species discoveries from 1750 to 2000 that appear in the Retro SOS Report.

SOS 2011

SOS Retro 2000-2009

Click here to view the IISE's archive of SOS Reports.  Click here for news story on SOS reports.

IISE Projects

Linnaean Legacy Award

The annual award was presented this year in New York City to two prominent scientists.  Click here to see who was honored.

Letters to Linnaeus

Species in the News

Beetle explorers  name new species for Roosevelt

Amazing Species

In an effort to increase awareness of biological diversity and species at risk of extinction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has launched 'Amazing Species'.  Click on the image below to learn more about the species highlighted today and come back tomorrow to see what's next.

9 Potentially New Species Discovered Off Bali Coast

Newly Discovered Deep Sea Lobster

"Pink Meanie" Pictures: New Jellyfish Attacks Other Jellies

- National Geographic

New Carnivorous Plants

IISE Welcomes New Partner: Italian Carnivorous Plants Association

As an institute that supports the advancement of species discovery and is committed to promoting greater understanding of biodiversity around the world, the IISE is pleased to announce our newest partnership with AIPC – the Italian Carnivorous Plants Association. Founded in the late 1990s, the purpose of the AIPC is to "promote, to divulge and to spread the study, the knowledge and the growing techniques of the carnivorous plants."  For more information about the AIPC and their work, please visit their website at http://www.aipcnet.it/aipcjoomla/index.php (in Italian), enjoy their fabulous photos, and read about Cerbaie's Project (in English) – the AIPC's collaborative effort with several Italian agencies to preserve Drosera rotundifolia var. corsica.

Also, please check out one of the IISE's 2010 Top 10 New Species, the carnivorous plant Attenborough's Pitcher (Nepenthes attenboroughii).

Taxonomy in Action

Bionet is committed to promoting the importance of taxonomy. It has release the initial compilation of case studies under its ‘Taxonomy in Action’ campaign, which can be viewed here.  A Powerpoint presentation is also available for download featuring a subset of these case studies. This is an ongoing endeavor and taxonomists are encouraged to contribute images and details about species for inclusion.

Big Bugs Life-Size

Click here to order this book which showcases some of the world's biggest bugs in real life color and in actual size.